Where I Belong
by jewel2687
Summary: Going home to Gabby and Louie, Matt knows exactly where he belongs. My take on the fourth season finale. Two-shot.
1. Part One

Author's Note: So I did it. I wrote the one-shot I had in my head after the finale. That should be obvious or you wouldn't be reading this author's note. There is a big change from when I first mentioned this in the last chapter of Worth Fighting For though. The story is now going to be a two shot because it was turning out to be a lot longer than I originally thought it would be, and there seemed to be a natural break based on what I've written so far. I'm actually really glad I've made the decision to break it up because I think this first part probably works better on its own. Now I just wish the site would add Louie to the character list so I can add him to this.

I want to thank ourtimenow88, red08, coconut, Alex, and one of the Guests for encouraging me to write this. It was a little harder than Worth Fighting For at times, but I'm really proud of it. I hope you like it.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

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Part One

"You were amazing, like a superhero," Susan smiled as she spoke to him.

"Oh come on. We were amazing. Never should have doubted you. This trip was a great idea," Matt told her because it had been. They had done a lot of good for the city of Chicago today, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to any of it without her guidance. The very idea that he was capable of rubbing shoulders with all these important people in state politics and getting something from them probably wouldn't have even occurred to him.

"It still is," she said, and before he even had a chance to realize what was happening her lips were on his. They were off of him just as quickly and suddenly she was putting a napkin down in front of him and walking away.

For a moment all he could do was stare where she had just been standing, completely dumbfounded. Then his eyes glanced down towards the napkin.

"Rm 301," it said. He picked the napkin up, and took a drink.

 _What the hell just happened?_

He just kept staring off into space, trying to figure out where that had come from. He took another drink and then looked at the napkin again. Only this time he didn't really see it. Instead all he could see was Gabby's face. She was giving him a huge smile, the one that just melted his heart. God he loved that face and that smile. He never wanted that smile to go away, couldn't imagine ever knowingly doing something to make it go away.

Could Susan really think he'd cheat on Gabby? If so, she didn't know him at all. Susan had been a colleague, someone he had thought could maybe become a friend, but that was all. No matter how bad things were between them, Gabby was the only woman he wanted, the only woman he could ever see himself wanting. He'd gone to her apartment that night two and a half years ago because he'd realized that she was the one, finally able to admit to himself that she had his heart, and he'd never get it back. Throwing that away wasn't even an option. During the months they'd spent apart last year, he had been miserable, not feeling truly happy or alive until Gabby was back in his arms.

He didn't want to believe he'd been sending Susan signals that he was interested in her in that way. If he had, he certainly hadn't meant to. She must have misconstrued something, interpreted it in a way she wanted to and not as what it really was. He never had and never would be interested in her like that. Either she was seeing something that wasn't there or just hoping he'd react the way she wanted him to. He wouldn't though. The price would be way too high. Gabby would never forgive him. He couldn't think of anything that was worth that risk. Some meaningless fling with Susan certainly wasn't.

If Susan thought he would go to her room and accept what she was so blatantly offering, what was Gabby thinking? He wanted to believe that his girl knew him well enough to know that she was everything to him, that this trip was just business, that he could never betray her, but looking back, the expression on her face and tone in her voice when he'd told her that he and Susan would be coming here, made him wonder. She'd barely said two words to him since then. Not that he had made much of an effort either, her words earlier having cut like a knife. He wasn't sure if on her part it was because of this trip or the argument, if you could call it that, they'd had right before he'd told her he was going out of town or both, but did any of that really matter when they loved each other so deeply? At that moment, he knew exactly what he had to do.

He threw the napkin down, reached for his wallet, and grabbed some bills throwing them on the table. He hoped it was enough to cover the drinks, not wanting to wait for the bill. If not, well he supposed they had Susan's room number.

Once that was done, he grabbed his keys. He got up and headed straight for his car, not even bothering to go back up to his room to get his suitcase. Everything he had brought with him was replaceable, but the time he could be spending making things right with Gabby was not.

As he drove home, all he could think about was how he got here. He kept replaying the last few weeks and even months in his head, trying to figure out how they'd gotten so off track. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't want kids, and then when he and Gabby had gotten together, his dreams had been filled with images of the life they would share and the family they would have. If you'd told him a couple months ago, that she would have brought up taking in a little boy and he would have initially tried to brush it off as something they didn't have time for, he would never have believed it. Yet that's exactly what had happened. How had his priorities gotten so messed up?

The drive from Springfield to Chicago should have taken about three hours, but he found himself pulling up in front of the firehouse less than two and a half hours after he'd left the hotel. It was probably inappropriate for him to go to Gabby while she was at work, especially since his decision to take the shift off, didn't change the fact that he was technically her boss. He didn't really care though.

It was way too easy to find a parking space. There should be a lot more cars outside the house at this point. He quickly brushed the thought from his mind, not wanting any distractions. The only thing that really mattered was getting to Gabby.

Walking onto the apparatus floor, he noticed that even though the squad table was empty, all the rigs were parked in their designated spots. Everyone should be here. _She_ should be here. So he was surprised when he found the common room completely empty. It was a little early, but maybe they had all gone to bed. He was about to turn towards the bunkroom when he saw Connie approaching, clearly getting ready to head home for the night.

"Lieutenant," she seemed surprised to see him.

"Where is everyone?" he didn't have time for small talk. He just needed to find Gabby.

"They were let off shift early. The ceremony to put Danny Borelli's badge up at the Academy is tonight. Everyone was supposed to go," Connie told him.

"Thanks," he said before spinning around and making his way out of the firehouse.

He got back in his car and headed towards Hermann's house, glad that Boden had mentioned that Gabby had moved into the apartment above the Hermanns' garage when the two men had spoken earlier. Otherwise he wouldn't have known where to find her. He had no idea if the ceremony had started, was still going on, or was over, but regardless of how desperate he was to see his girl, he had too much respect for the job and the sacrifice to interrupt the ceremony. If she wasn't already home, he would just be waiting for her when she got there.

As he was getting out of his car, another one pulled into the Hermann's driveway. He watched Hermann get out of the car in his dress uniform as he searched for Gabby. Her car was already here so either she had beaten Hermann back here or had gone with him this morning.

"Gabby with you?" he asked when he didn't see her.

"Nah. She wound up leaving even earlier than the rest of us. DCFS stopped by this afternoon. She got custody of Louie," Hermann told him.

Hearing those words, he was really happy for her. She had wanted this so badly, and she deserved everything she wanted and more. He knew she was going to be an incredible mother to that little boy, and now that it was real, he didn't have any doubts. He wanted desperately to be part of this with her. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

"Is there a doorbell I should ring?" he asked.

"No. If it's not unlocked, normally you'd have to call, but I can let you up," Hermann said.

He hoped the door was locked. He knew it wasn't technically part of Gabby's apartment, but he didn't like the idea of her living up there with an open door in front. It didn't seem safe.

"Don't worry Lieutenant. There's a lock and a deadbolt on the apartment door," Hermann must have sensed his concern.

"It's locked," a sense of relief still washed over him as he tried the doorknob.

"Just give me a moment to get the key," Hermann said. "Here we go."

He then got out of the way so Hermann could unlock the door.

"Welcome home Lieutenant," Hermann said before he went inside.

"Thanks Hermann," he smiled, his intuition telling him that Hermann wasn't referring to Chicago.

Walking up the stairs, he felt both giddy and nervous. He hadn't felt quite like this since the first time he'd shown up at Gabby's door unannounced intent on making her his. Now here he was again. He just hoped that this time he would be able to find the words to express himself. With Louie there, just thinking about that fact brought a smile to his face, he doubted that kissing her with everything he had was going to be an option this time. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he needed to tell her, so much he should have already told her.

Taking a deep breath, he reached up and hesitantly knocked. A moment later Gabby was opening the door, and he was taking her in. Her hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. She was wearing a loose fitting reddish sweater and minimal makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through. She was so incredibly gorgeous. Looking at her, he was convinced that there could never be a more beautiful woman not that he had ever really needed a reminder. God, he really wanted to kiss her.

Trying to read her, he gave her a small smile. She gave him a bigger one back. As their eyes met he noticed hers were watery, bringing tears to his own eyes. Then they were in each other's arms, pulling each other close. He wasn't actually sure who initiated the embrace, but it didn't matter. It felt so good to hold her again. His gaze drifted towards Louie as a tear fell from his eye. The boy was sitting on the couch, playing with a stuffed animal. He couldn't tell what animal it was, but the sight was absolutely adorable. His smile got wider, and in that moment he knew, with every fiber in his being, that right here, with Gabby in his arms and Louie a few feet away, was exactly where he belonged, where he was meant to be.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until finally Gabby broke away.

"Matt, you're here," she said almost like she didn't completely believe it, like she needed to say it out loud to make sure it was true, and that broke his heart. The last thing he ever wanted was for Gabby to doubt that she was the center of his world when he knew she always would be. Yet that was exactly what he had made her do.

"I'm here," he reassured her as he reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I love you so much baby. I promise I'm never going anywhere ever again."

"I love you too," she said. He could tell that she was trying hard not to cry. He wanted to tell her that it was okay to let it all out but was worried about alarming Louie. _Louie._ He looked over at the boy once again and smiled.

"You got him," he motioned towards the couch.

"This afternoon," she said.

"I'm really happy for you Gabby," he told her honestly. Silently, he added a "for us" to the end, thinking it was probably not a good idea to say it out loud yet. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't force his way into this with her. He needed to show her that this was what he wanted and hope that she would forgive his initial reaction and let him do this with her.

"Do you want to meet him?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah," he smiled at her.

After closing and locking the door, Gabby took his hand and together they walked towards the couch.

"Hey Louie," Gabby said as they sat down on the coffee table across from him. "This is Matt. He's –"

Gabby paused, and Matt realized that she wasn't completely sure how to introduce him. He wanted to help but he wasn't really sure what the best thing to say was either. A friend? Gabby's boyfriend? He wanted to be so much more to both Gabby and Louie.

"He was there the day we met," Gabby finally said.

"Hi Louie," Matt said, his eyes watering again. Gabby must have noticed because she squeezed his hand.

"Hi," Louie said meekly. The boy looked like he could barely keep his eyes open.

"You tired?" he asked, and Louie just nodded.

"I'm going to get him ready for bed. Matt, don't go anywhere," she instructed.

As Gabby and Louie moved towards the dresser, he picked up the stuffed animal, finally noticing that it was a monkey, and moved to the couch so he could get a better view of the two of them, and sat in the spot where Louie had just been. He didn't think it was possible to love someone more than he already loved Gabby, but as he watched her be a mother to this little boy, he was overcome with a deeper love than he'd ever know.

"Night Buddy," he whispered as he saw Gabby help Louie, now clad in pajamas, into bed and then lean over to give the boy a kiss on the cheek before turning off a lamp next to the bed.

When Gabby turned back towards him, he saw her smile turn into a frown. It lasted for about ten seconds. Then their eyes locked and she was smiling again.

"I told you not to go anywhere," Gabby said softly as she approached the couch.

"I didn't," he said.

"You went from the coffee table to the couch," she explained as she sat down next to him. Taking the monkey from him, she added. "Hermann won this at the Navy Pier. It got passed down through all his kids, and when we were getting this place ready, he gave it to me as a gift for Louie."

"That was nice of him," he told her.

Watching her put the monkey on the coffee table, he thought that it would be nice for the three of them to go to the Navy Pier. He promised himself that they would do that at some point this summer. While he was touched that Hermann had given Gabby the stuffed animal, he wanted his son to have something that he had won specifically for him. _His son._ Was it normal for him to already feel this way after a few minutes? He wasn't really sure. He did though, and in his head, the words just sounded perfect.

"I missed you," he said as he wrapped his arms around Gabby and pulled her close. He hadn't realized just how much until she had opened the door earlier. Sure he'd known that he missed her these past few weeks. He'd been wishing she'd come home since the moment he realized that she'd gone from having unofficially moved back in to not even stopping by for a visit, but he hadn't realized just how big of a piece of himself was missing until it was back in place.

"I missed you too," she replied as she snuggled closer to him.

He dipped his head down, placing a kiss on the top of hers. It wasn't enough though, and he found himself lifting her head to give him access to her mouth. It was intended to be a more chaste kiss, but once their lips were on each other's, he couldn't resist. It just felt so good and right. He slid his tongue along her lips, begging for access. She responded and soon their tongues were dancing together as their kisses became more passionate. After a few minutes, Gabby pulled away slightly, gasping for breath. He took a quick breath himself, and then automatically started attacking one of his favorite spots on her neck.

"Matt," Gabby let out a soft moan. It was such an amazing sound, and the knowledge that he caused it sent a jolt of electricity through his body.

"Matt," she suddenly said a little louder as she pulled away.

He instantly missed her touch. Had he done something wrong?

"We can't do this," Gabby continued as she motioned towards the bed where Louie slept. "I want to. Believe me I want to, but we can't right now."

"I know. I'm sorry. I guess I couldn't help getting carried away," he replied. He'd been so caught up in her that he'd forgotten everything else. He just hoped he didn't sound too disappointed. It seemed this place had everything he wanted except actual bedrooms.

"It's okay. You know I want to, right?" judging by look on Gabby's face, he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one cursing the lack of bedrooms.

"Of course I do. You're right. We can't do anything with Louie right there, but it's okay. Just being here with you, holding you, that's enough," he wanted to reassure her. That didn't change the fact that it was true though. Sure if given the chance, he would have gladly made love to her. He loved all the incredible things only she could do to him. He loved touching her. He loved hearing, seeing, and feeling how she reacted to his touch, and he definitely loved being inside her. But after the past few weeks, being here with her, knowing that they were going to be okay and that he had a chance at the family he'd always wanted with her was all he needed. Anything more was just a bonus.

"For me too," Gabby smiled at him before turning more serious. "Matt, there's something I need to tell you. Something happened on shift today, and I want you to hear it from me."

He didn't like the sound of that. Her words and the shakiness in her voice made him nervous.

"We got called to an apartment building, and Kidd and I were searching the fifth floor when we got trapped," she continued. "They managed to get a lifeline down from the roof so we could go out the window, but there was only one. I insisted she bail out first. She was on her way down when the room flashed over. I managed to jump out the window just in time, but I only was able to get one hand on the windowsill in the first place. If it had taken them a couple seconds longer to get Severide up the aerial, I don't think I would have been able to hang on."

He tensed a little more with each word she spoke. From the moment she had brought up the idea of becoming a firefighter, his worst nightmare had been her getting gravely injured or killed when something went wrong on a call. Today that had almost happened, and he hadn't even been there. He owed Severide a huge thank you for getting her to safety in one piece, but it should have been him. Instead he had been at some conference, trying to be someone he wasn't, completely unaware that his world had just almost been completely shattered.

"Thank God you're okay," he said as he pulled her as close to him as possible, needing to feel her heart beating and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the proof that she was alive, that it had been a near miss and not his worst nightmare come true.

"When I was hanging there, I wasn't sure I would be," Gabby said. "I thought about Louie, and while even though I didn't know if I would get him, if I died, he would definitely be all alone again. I thought a lot about you too. About how I much I love you and how badly I wanted to see you again. I wished I could go back and change the last thing I said to you. I never should have said it; I'm so sorry. I wished I hadn't pushed you away either because it meant that I might have just spent the last few weeks of my life without you. No matter why I had done it, it just felt like I had lost precious time that I should have spent with you. I never wanted these past few weeks to be how we ended Matt, for that to be what you remembered about me and about us."

"I promise you that's not what I would have remembered. I would have remembered all the good times, how amazing you are, and how great we are together. I would have held onto how much I love you forever. This is so much better though," he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"When I got down, all I wanted was you," her words made him feel even more guilty for not being there. "I was about to call you. I needed to hear your voice and tell you I love you because I wasn't sure you still knew that. Then DCFS showed up with Louie, and I had to put his needs before mine. I never stopped wanting to call you though."

"No matter what's happened between us, I've never once doubted that you love me," he told her.

She'd made her confession about what had happened today, and now he had to make his. He'd been hoping to put it off for a while longer. He had every intention of telling her. He knew he needed to, that he couldn't keep this from her. It's just he wanted to stay in this bubble where the outside world didn't matter and it was her and him and Louie and everyone else just existed to make sure they got their happy ending. Once he told her, he'd be letting all that go. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, and he worried that this would. He just had to keep telling himself that he'd done nothing wrong, he hadn't wanted it to happen, and that Gabby would understand that. In the end, his being here would matter more than how he got here. Taking a deep breath, he started, still not quite sure how to say it.

"There's something I need to tell you too," he said as he lifted her a little so that they were once again looking each other in the eye. "I love you more than anything. You know that, right?"

"Matt, you're scaring me," her voice once again sounded shaky.

"There's no need to be scared," he said. Maybe he shouldn't have prefaced it like that. He hadn't wanted to make her nervous; he just wanted her to keep the fact that he loved her in mind, hoping that it would make what he had to say easier for her to hear.

"Something happened before I left Springfield though," he continued. "Susan and I were talking about how the day went and out of nowhere she kissed me, gave me her room number, and left. I wasn't expecting her to do that, and I certainly didn't want her to. I was completely shocked, but I never once even considered going up to her room or kissing her back. If I'd had any idea that she intended the trip to be anything more than business, I never would have gone with her no matter what I could do for the department. You are the only one I want. That's never going to change."

"You weren't even the least bit tempted? She's beautiful," Gabby asked quietly.

"Babe, she can't hold a candle to you," he watched a hint of crimson creep into her cheeks as he spoke.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as he tried to read her reaction. Then Gabby spoke again.

"You really didn't see it coming?" she didn't sound surprised by what he had said. Maybe a little relieved but not surprised.

"No. Did you?" he asked.

"Of course I did. I can't believe you didn't," she let out a little laugh. This was going so much better than he had hoped. "It's been obvious from the moment she showed up here that she wanted you. The way she looks at you. I mean she's practically been flirting with you right in front of me. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to kick her ass or tell her to just shut up and go away. I can't believe you didn't see it. I always just thought you were too polite to say anything and that you were starting to embrace your political career and thought you needed her help."

He couldn't believe he had missed all that. He thought he had always been able to tell when a woman was interested in him and was flirting with him. Maybe it was just a result of how deeply in love he was; he couldn't even see another woman.

"You never doubted me?" he asked.

"No. I mean there were times when I was less sure than others, but I trusted you. I trust you, and the fact that you're here with me and not in that tramp's bed proves I was right," he was so glad that she was smiling at him as she spoke.

"Why didn't you say anything?" that was the one thing that still confused him.

"Because I trust you, and I didn't want to seem paranoid. And you were getting so into being an alderman and serving the community that way. I didn't want to anything that could mess that up," she explained.

"Gabby, I don't ever want you to worry about messing something up for me. I'm the one who messed things up here. When Susan left the bar, all I could think about was you, and I realized something. All I wanted to do was help people. I never wanted to be a politician, but then Susan showed up and started selling all these big things she thought I could do. I guess I got enamored with the idea, and then I lost sight of who I am and what really matters to me. That's you and us and our family. It never should have taken what happened earlier tonight for me to realize just how messed up everything had become. I'm sorry," he explained.

"Our family," Gabby said. He wasn't sure if she was asking him a question or letting his words sink in or just repeating it because she liked the way it sounded.

"Yeah," he told her. "I know I didn't react well when you first brought up fostering Louie. Not that it's any excuse, but you caught me off guard when you said you wanted to do this. I wish I could have been as enthusiastic as you were. I freaked out though, and I couldn't see how if we weren't ready for marriage, we could be ready to be parents, which was stupid though because no matter how much I want to marry you, I don't need to be married to know that I'm in this for life. I needed time to wrap my head around the idea, and I should have told you that. Instead I just said the first thing that came to mind without really thinking and that was based on fear. I was afraid that we weren't ready and that everything that came with this was going to be more than we could handle. That I wouldn't be a good enough father to him. It's not like I had a good example growing up. He's been let down so many times. I was scared that I would just be one more person to do that.

"I was also worried that you were moving too fast with this," he continued. "Gabby, you have a huge heart, and you care so much. And because of that, you don't always think, you have a tendency to act based on emotion, whether it's in your own interest or not. I love that about you. I do, but it scares me too. We both know it's gotten you in trouble before, and if this was a decision you were making based on emotion only, if you hadn't really thought about it, then it was more likely to blow up in your face. I knew if that happened, it would crush you. I needed to be sure that you were sure. I should have told you that too.

"The thing is, once I actually had the time to think about it, to wrap my head around it, I knew I wanted this too. By then it seemed like it was too late though; you were convinced you needed to do this on your own. And after watching you the past few weeks, I know that you have thought about this and you are sure, and I don't need to worry about you. I know that saying this might not be enough, that I might need to prove this to you, but I want you to know that if you'll let me, I want to do this with you. I want to be his father."

"I didn't help things," Gabby admitted. He knew that was hard for her to say. Admitting she'd screwed up wasn't something that came naturally to Gabby. "I did what I always do when things get tough, I ran away. Maybe not as far as last time, but I was running when I pushed you away. I know it's something I need to work on. I guess I have this idea in my head that if I run, it'll hurt less than if I stay and things just fall apart. The funny thing is, it always still really hurts."

"You're right, you do need to work on it," he agreed with her. "And as much as I'd like to think that we're never going to have a fight or disagreement again let alone have any more serious problems, I know that's probably unrealistic so I need to work on finding a way to stop you from running. Not just because it hurts every time you do, although it does, but because it won't just be us anymore. If we start falling apart again, it's going to affect Louie and that's not fair to him."

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"I'm sorry too," he wrapped his arms around her and once again pulling her towards him. He was glad they were having this talk, getting everything out there so that they were finally on the same page again. He wasn't actually sure that they had truly been on the same page since they had gotten back together. They should have done something like this a long time ago.

"Matt, you know how you said we weren't ready to get married?" Gabby asked after a few moments.

"Yeah," he said.

"I didn't realize that was how you thought I felt. I never meant to make you think that," she started to explain. "You know how you said you got scared when I brought up fostering Louie. Well, that's how I felt when you brought up the idea of us getting married and me moving to Engine. You have to understand that except for the past few weeks, I have been so incredibly happy for months. The last time I was that happy was two years ago. Then things started to change. I was about to become a firefighter. We were about to get engaged. Then on what could have been one of the best days of my life, that damn warehouse exploded and my world slowly started to fall apart. Yeah the good things still eventually happened, but my best friend was dead and we couldn't figure out how to balance being a couple with our working relationship. That left me afraid of change. Yes, getting married would have been a good change, but I kept thinking that any change, even a good one, might open the door for everything changing again, and what if once again I wasn't as happy as I was in that moment. You said earlier that you didn't need to be married to know that you were in this for life. I feel the same way so I saw marriage as a scary and unnecessary change, and if it was unnecessary, then it wasn't worth the risk.

"The thing is I know now that I was wrong to be afraid of the good changes. I may have been trying to avoid change, but I made change happen anyways when I decided I wanted to foster Louie. Even before that when I encouraged you to run for alderman and probably in a lot of other ways too. I just didn't think about it like that probably because none of those things happened two years ago. What's more I finally know that the good changes can be worth it. Right here, right now with you and Louie, I'm happier than I've been."

"I'm glad. Few things matter more to me than your happiness. Although I'm beginning to think we might need to add making sure we're both on the same page and making sure the other actually understands what we're thinking to the list of things we need to work on," he told her, making a mental note to start planning another proposal. Her words indicating that this time, he'd get the answer he had been hoping for at Mouch's wedding. Maybe he should have just learned that bringing up the idea of them getting married at someone else's wedding wasn't the best idea. He'd done it twice now, and neither time had gone well. This time it would though, and he was going to need to make it better and more memorable than his first two proposals, bringing up the idea at Mouch's wedding didn't count, because this time was going to be the last time. There was no doubt in his mind that once Gabby's ring was back on her finger, it would never be coming off.

"Maybe," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything. Always," he replied.

"Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just curious," she began. "I had the hardest time convincing you to run for alderman. You didn't think you were the right person for the job even though I knew you were. Then Susan came along and started talking about you being someone who could make it to higher office, and you were board. Why was it so much easier for you to listen to her saying you could do something than it was for you to listen to me?"

"Because she was a stranger. Gabby, your support and your faith in me mean more to me than anyone else's ever could, but you're also biased. I knew that no matter what, you were on my side. Susan had never met me, and this was her job. She wasn't seeing me through the eyes of someone who loves me but through the eyes of someone who works with politicians and makes them successful. I figured that if someone who was coming at it with perspective felt that way, then it was more likely to be true. Not that I thought you believing in me meant it wasn't true, but you didn't exactly know what we were getting ourselves into and you only see the best in me. Her view was supposed to be based on knowledge and instinct. Although I guess now I'm not so sure. Your view was based on love. That I know for a fact," he wasn't really doing a good job explaining this. He didn't really know how to put it into words.

Gabby just nodded and then let out a yawn. She was so cute when she yawned.

"Tired?" he asked as he looked at his watch. It was well after midnight. They'd been talking and cuddling for hours. With shift that morning, she would have gotten up early too. She must be exhausted.

"Yeah," she said.

"I guess I should get going then. Let you get some rest," he didn't really want to leave. He hated the idea of being anywhere but here. At the same time, he didn't want to overstep, and even though he knew they had made a lot of progress tonight, he didn't really know if she was ready for him to spend the night with her and Louie.

"Do you want to leave?" she asked. She sounded upset.

"No. I don't want to be anywhere where I can't hold you in my arms, but I don't want to do anything that could get you in trouble with DCFS or that you're not ready for," he explained.

"Good because I don't want to be anywhere but in your arms. Don't worry about DCFS. They'll understand," she told him. "Now the only place I want you going is to get your suitcase and then come right back up here."

"You want me to go back to Springfield?" he asked her even though he realized that she just assumed his suitcase was in his truck.

"What?" she asked.

"I was in such a rush to get here that I left everything I had brought with me at the hotel. This seemed far more important than any of it," he told her.

"Oh Matt. I love you," she leaned over and placed a peck on his lips. "I wish I had clothes for you. There's not a lot of room here so I left most of our things at my old apartment. I think I have a t-shirt I stole from you, but everything you actually left there is still there."

"Well I couldn't have had a lot there to begin with. We were almost always at our place," he told her. As far as he was concerned, the fact that she had moved out and never officially moved back in didn't make his apartment anything less than their home. Even when they weren't together, he thought of it that way, and since getting back together, they had spent most nights there, usually only winding up at Brett's place, he had never been able to see it as Gabby's place, if for some reason is was convenient. If he was being honest, he hated spending time at Brett's. The very fact that she had a room there was just a reminder of the awful months they'd spent apart.

"You'd be surprised," she said. "I should have a toothbrush for you. We'll have to figure everything else out tomorrow though."

"That's fine," he replied.

She headed into the bathroom, and he stripped down to his boxers before following her. For a moment, he just stood there, leaning in the doorway, watching as she took her makeup off.

"Come here," she said once spotted him in the mirror. She reached into a drawer, and handed him a partially open package of toothbrushes. "Take your pick."

After brushing his teeth, he continued watching her as she got ready for bed. He did have to turn away as she changed though, feeling himself starting to get aroused at the first glimpse of her perfect body. He had to control himself. There couldn't be a repeat of what happened when he got carried away earlier. Once she was finished getting ready, Gabby took his hand and led him towards her bed.

"Matt, I'm really glad you're here. I know I said I was doing this without you. I do think I could, but it'll be better with you," Gabby said as they got into bed. He hoped that this was her way of telling him that they would be doing this together. "Everything is better with you."

"I feel the same way," he replied.

"That you make everything better?" she was smirking at him.

"No. That you do," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. With her in his arms, he had no doubt that this was going to be the best night's sleep he'd gotten in weeks.

"Matt," Gabby said again a minute later. "You're going to be an amazing father. I've never doubted it for a minute so don't doubt it yourself. Louie's lucky to have you."

* * *

Author's Note: I know I changed a couple of things compared to what happened on the show. The biggest one is the timeline. I had it in my head that they had gotten that last call in the afternoon. When I went back and rewatched the scenes around it (I refuse to delete the episode from my DVR so that I can just keep watching that last Dawsey scene over and over and over again) to make sure I had all the details for when Gabby told Matt about it, I realized I was wrong and that the call came in at the crack of dawn near the end of the full 24 hour shift. I was going to have to take something out of Part 2 if I went with the actual timeline on the show so I decided to just stick with my incorrect memory. The other thing I changed was how Gabby was hanging from the building. I wasn't actually sure how to describe what happened on the show so I used something I could actually word instead. Hopefully, none of that interfered with the story too much.

For those of you who read Worth Fighting For, I hate to keep delaying it, but my plan is to finish this first so that I don't have to try to juggle both stories. I'm hoping to be able to get Chapter 10 up in the next week or so, but I make no guarantees. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for Part 2 of this story.


	2. Part Two

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story after Part One. I really appreciate the amazing response I got, and yes agree with everyone who said it would be really nice to get something like Part One (and I'd say Part Two) in the season premiere. If not, well that's partially why I wrote this.

I know I wound up lying when I said I thought I would get this up last weekend. Turns out that while I was thinking this would wind up being shorter than Part One, its actually about 3,000 words longer so it took a lot more time to write than I was expecting. It's all done though so here it is. Meanwhile I feel like I should warn you that this part is almost 10,000 words (before this author's note) so make sure you have enough time to read it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy Part 2 as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

* * *

Part Two

Matt was disappointed to feel himself waking up to an empty bed the following morning. As far as he was concerned, there was no more perfect way to wake up than with Gabby snuggled into his chest, her beautiful face being the first thing he saw, being able to just lay there and hold her, knowing that this incredible woman was all his. After weeks apart, he'd really been looking forward to doing that this morning. Now he wouldn't be able to.

Sitting up he scanned the room for her only to find no sign of Gabby or Louie. He got out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom, but they weren't there either. Her purse and keys were no longer by the door so he looked out the window only to find her car no longer in the driveway. Where were they?

A few minutes later, he was heading towards the kitchen when he heard a key turn in the lock. Turning around he saw Gabby enter. One of her hands was holding Louie's, and the other was holding a duffel bag.

"You're awake," Gabby said as she let go of Louie's hand. The boy moved to the couch and started once again playing with the stuffed monkey. "I was hoping we'd make it back before you got up."

"Sorry," he said. "Where'd you guys go?"

"Remember how I said we'd do something about clothes for you in the morning? Well, since Louie and I were both up, I figured we'd swing by the apartment and get you something to wear. I didn't want to wake Severide and I did want to get back to you as quickly as possible so there's not much. This should get you through the day though," she said. "Of course when I left, I noticed Severide's car wasn't out front so I guess I didn't have to worry about that."

"He probably picked up some random girl last night. Although I'm surprised he didn't take her back to the apartment since I wasn't going to be there," his best friend was so predictable.

"He's probably with Kidd," Gabby told him.

"Wait, what?" was he missing something? Why would Severide be with Kidd?

"They've been seeing each other. The whole house knows. Well, I guess not the whole house," Gabby chuckled as she told him what he had been missing. He really had been out of it lately, so consumed with politics that he hadn't even realized what was going on with his best friend and roommate. It was something else that he shouldn't have let happen.

"Matt, you need to get changed now," she said suddenly, prompting him to notice that her eyes were practically glued to his chest.

"Like what you see," he knew the answer but still whispered the question in her ear as he walked past her and took the duffel bag from her.

"Now," she repeated as her cheeks turned crimson. He thoroughly enjoyed teasing her.

In the bathroom he opened the duffel bag to find a clean pair of boxers, jeans, socks, and sneakers as well as a light blue t-shirt. Gabby had bought the shirt for him a few months ago for no real reason. She claimed that she had seen it while shopping and been reminded of his eyes. It instantly became one of his favorites. Seeing it he was really glad he hadn't taken it with him to Springfield. He would have hated to lose this one.

"Louie, do you like eggs?" he heard Gabby asking through the bathroom door as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"I don't know," Louie answered her, and Matt realized that the boy had probably never had eggs. He wondered what type of diet the boy had before now, knowing that he and Gabby would make sure Louie learned to eat healthy.

"Gabby makes really good eggs," he said as he emerged from the bathroom, wanting to encourage Louie to give them a try.

"What do you normally have for breakfast?" Gabby asked.

"Cocoa Puffs," Louie replied.

"We don't have that so why don't you try some eggs?" Gabby requested. Matt wasn't surprised. He knew she would never give Louie sugary cereal for breakfast. She probably hadn't even bought any. "Matt, how do you want the eggs?"

"Do you have anything to make omelets?" he asked.

"Cheese, mushrooms, and spinach," she told him.

"Sounds perfect," he said as he joined Gabby in the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you try to find the frying pan?" Gabby asked as she started cutting up the vegetables. "I can't remember where we put it the other day."

"Sure," he said as he started opening cabinets.

"Oh Antonio called while we were at the apartment this morning," she said. "He invited us to dinner tonight. We're supposed to be there at 5:30."

"Does he know I'm here?" he asked. Given their last conversation, he was pretty sure the invitation wasn't for him, and while he didn't want to deprive her of time with her brother, he wasn't thrilled with having to figure out what to do while Gabby and Louie were with Antonio. Was it appropriate for him to stay here? Should he go back to his apartment?

"I told him the three of us would be there so I think so," she informed him.

"I don't think he wants me there. He was pretty pissed with me the last time we spoke," he didn't want to tell her what her brother had said to him.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad, and he seemed fine with you coming when we were on the phone," she replied. He didn't say anything, and after a minute of silence she continued. "Okay, you obviously think it was. What did he say to you?"

"Gabby, just let it go," he tried to get her off the subject not wanting to upset her or create issues between her and her brother.

"Matt, what did he say?" she asked again, her tone telling him that she wasn't going to give up until she had an answer.

"At 51 last week, he accused me of just stringing you along for the past few years," he finally admitted, not wanting to mention the part about not supporting Gabby as she tried to foster Louie right in front of the boy.

"Well, he's wrong," she told him. "And once he sees us together and realizes that we've worked things out and we're okay, you two will be fine. And I want you there Matt so please come with us."

"For you," he told her just as he finally found the pan and stood up, placing it next to her on the counter. "Got it."

At that moment, Matt felt a tug on his leg, and looked down to see Louie standing there, now tugging Gabby's leg as well.

"Read," he said, and Matt noticed that he was holding a book.

"I need to finish breakfast sweetie, but I'm sure Matt will read to you," Gabby said.

"I would love to. Come on Louie," he took Louie's free hand and together they walked to the couch, sitting next to each other. He took the book from Louie, and looked it over.

"Corduroy, huh. You like this book?" he asked as he read the cover.

"Yeah. I'm just like Corduroy. No one wants me," Louie said sadly. Matt's heart broke. No one should ever feel that way, especially not a child.

"Gabby and I want you. We want you so much. We've been waiting for someone like you for a long time," Matt said as picked Louie up, placing the boy on his lap and hugging him.

He heard Gabby turn the stove off, and then saw her coming towards them. As their eyes locked, he noticed that there was a tear in her eye. She clearly had been just as affected by Louie's words as he was.

"You will always be wanted Louie. I promise you that," she said as she sat down next to them, placing a hand on Louie's back and a kiss on the top of his head. They sat like that for a minute before Gabby spoke again.

"I need to finish making breakfast, but it'll be you, me, and Matt today Louie. I love you both," she said before getting up and making her way back into the kitchen.

With Louie still on his lap, Matt picked up the book again and began reading. They made it to the happy ending just as Gabby called them over for breakfast.

"You're getting your own happy ending Louie. Gabby and I are going to make sure of it," he said as he carried his son towards the kitchen table, not wanting to put him down.

He sat Louie down before taking a seat next to him. Gabby brought over two plates. One had a cut-up omelet, which she placed in front of Louie.

"I put extra mushrooms in this one," she said as she placed the second one in front of him before going back into the little kitchen and getting a third plate. She returned and took a seat across from him so that Louie was between them.

"Do you like it Louie," Gabby asked once the boy had taken his first bite. Louie just nodded, and Matt started eating, smiling because this was their first breakfast together as a family.

"Yucky," Louie said suddenly as he spit out the bite he had just eaten.

"I thought you liked it," Gabby said.

"No. This one different. This one yucky," Louie said, making Matt realize that there was something about that particular bite that made Louie spit it out.

"Let me see," he said as he reached for the boy's plate. Looking at it, he noticed that what Louie had spit up was just egg and mushroom. The egg wasn't the problem or he wouldn't have liked the first bite so it must be the mushroom.

"I don't think he likes mushrooms," Matt said as he began to pick them out of Louie's omelet and put them on his own plate. Once he thought they were all gone, he gave Louie's plate back to him. "Try this buddy."

"Better," Louie said.

"So I was thinking that maybe today we could have a picnic in Grant Park and then go to the aquarium before heading to my brother's," Gabby said once the situation had been resolved. "I remember Antonio's kids loving going there when they were Louie's age."

"Sounds fun to me," he replied.

* * *

When they got to Grant Park a few hours later, they found a good picnic spot not that far from both the Museum Campus and where they had parked Gabby's car. It had been hard to get Louie to sit still though; the boy just kept wanting to run around. Matt got the impression that between group homes and the addict foster mother they had first found him with, the boy hadn't had many opportunities to just play around outside the way most kids his age did. He just hoped that he and Gabby would be able to keep up with Louie. Having to contend with a three-year old wasn't exactly something they were used to. At least they had finally managed to get him to sit down and eat lunch with them.

"Ice cream," Louie said, pointing to a soft serve truck that was parked up the street from where they were sitting.

"I see," Gabby said.

"Want ice cream," Louie said as if he thought Matt and Gabby hadn't understood that. Matt knew they had though.

"If you finish your sandwich and eat some watermelon, we can maybe get you a treat inside the aquarium," Gabby said a little sternly.

"Ice cream," Louie said again as he dropped his chicken salad sandwich on the blanket, got up, and started running towards the ice cream truck. Matt immediately got up and went after him, scooping him up and taking him back to the blanket and Gabby.

"Louie, you can't just run away from us like that," he said as he sat Louie down on his lap. "If you do, we're going to have to go home, and you won't get to see the fishies. You're going to miss out on something really cool."

"Here's your sandwich. If you're good for the rest of the afternoon, we'll get you that treat," Gabby said as she picked the sandwich up from where Louie had dropped it and gave it back to him. Matt kept holding Louie with one arm and eating his own lunch with the other, afraid his son would run off again.

The rest of the picnic was uneventful as they ate their lunches and enjoyed being a family. Louie seemed to really like the watermelon as he finally stopped staring longingly at the ice cream truck when Gabby had given him some. Matt was glad. It was good to know that there was at least one type of fruit that Louie would happily eat. He was looking forward to finding out what other fruits and vegetables Louie liked.

Half an hour after Louie had tried running off, the three of them got up. After dropping the blanket and picnic basket off at Gabby's car, they headed into the aquarium. Fortunately, they had gotten tickets online that morning so it didn't take them too long to get into the exhibit halls. They made their way around the exhibits over the next couple of hours. Louie was completed immersed in almost everything he saw. The boy stayed glued to the glass in both the Caribbean Reef and Wild Reef exhibits, and by the time they had made it through the Amazon Rising exhibit Louie was begging for both a turtle and a piranha. They told him that if he was a good boy and still wanted a turtle in a few months, they'd consider getting him one, but there was no way they were getting him a piranha. Fortunately, Louie had moved on pretty quickly. Matt wasn't sure how they would have explained that it was illegal to own a piranha. Louie's favorite spot was definitely the Polar Play Area though, and he was pretty sure that if the boy hadn't tired himself out in there, they never would have gotten him to leave.

Now he was standing near the restrooms, holding Louie in his arms. Gabby had just gone into the Ladies' Room, and they were waiting for her.

"You have a beautiful family," a woman came up to him and told him a moment after Gabby had walked away.

"Thanks," he said beaming. From the moment he'd walked in the door last night, he'd felt like the three of them were a family, but hearing someone else say it was incredible. Him, his girl, and their son. It was absolutely perfect, and the world knew it.

"Let's go to the gift shop," Gabby pulled him from his thoughts as she emerged from the bathroom and reached for Louie. He hated having to let Louie go, but he couldn't say no to Gabby when she wanted to hold him.

In the gift shop they split up. Gabby took Louie to look at some of the souvenirs aimed at children.

Meanwhile, he was wondering around aimlessly when he spotted it. It was a little cheesy, but it also just seemed perfect. Sitting on a shelf was a single black picture frame with a seashell and fish border and the word "Family" written on the top. The aquarium had taken a picture of him, Gabby, and Louie when they'd gotten here earlier. He could buy the picture and the frame, and give them to Gabby as a gift. It seemed like the perfect way to commemorate today, their first day together as a family.

"Is it possible to get the picture you guys took near the entrance to the exhibit halls sized to fit in this frame," he asked once he got up to the cashier.

"Let me see," the clerk said. "Five by Seven. We can do that. It'll be a few minutes though."

"That's fine. By the way, do you have gift wrap or a gift bag or anything?" he asked.

"Sorry," the cashier told him. Hopefully, he had something at home.

"I don't think we need to worry about getting him that treat," Gabby said when she came up to him a few minutes later. Louie had fallen asleep in her arms. "We have a couple hours until we have to be at Antonio's so we probably should just get him home."

"Sure," he said.

"What did you get?" she asked him, clearly having noticed the bag.

"It's a surprise," he told her.

"Another one? You already gave me the best surprise last night," she was smiling.

* * *

"Matt, I know I said home but –," Gabby said as he parked her car in front of their apartment.

"I know what you meant, and while I still see this as your home, our home, that's not why we're here," he explained. "Louie just needs somewhere to nap so I figured that he could nap in our bed, and if it was alright with you, I could pack up some more clothes and toiletries and stuff to bring back to your apartment. If it's too much or too soon, I don't have too, but I want to spend as much time with the two of you as you'll let me."

He was a little nervous making the suggestion. He was basically suggesting that he practically move into the room over Hermann's garage with her and Louie, and while he knew they were in a much better place than when he first suggested the three of them live together, he didn't want to push his luck or try to force her to do something she wasn't ready for.

"Of course it's okay. I would have gotten a lot more for you this morning if I wasn't in a rush," she smiled at him. "I'm not sure where we're going to put your stuff, but I want you with us too."

That was his opening. His chance to let her know that his offer to kick Severide out and have her and Louie move in still stood, that it always would stand, but before he could say anything Gabby had gotten out of the car and had opened the back door to get Louie out of his car seat. Louie woke up as Gabby lifted him from the car seat. He was still tired, yawning as he walked into the apartment with them.

"Louie, this is Matt's apartment. We were here this morning," Gabby explained.

"Matt not live with us?" Louie sounded confused and sad. Matt and Gabby just looked at each other. He wasn't sure how to answer Louie's question, and he didn't think Gabby was either. It's not like they could just tell the three-year old that Matt would probably be spending most nights with them but officially living here. Louie was far too young to understand adult relationships, and theirs was far more complicated than Matt wanted it to be.

"I'll be there as much as you want buddy," he hoped that was a successful dodge.

Together they brought Louie into their room and tucked him into their bed. As far as Matt was concerned, the site of Louie curled up in the big bed was adorable and made even better by the fact that it was his and Gabby's bed.

"So what's my surprise?" Gabby asked as she made her way towards the living room. He'd dropped the picture off on the coffee table as they were bringing Louie to bed, something he was now regretting because if Gabby got to it first, he knew he'd never get to try to wrap it and actually give it to her as a gift. He managed to run out and snatch it up just before she got to it.

"After I pack," he told her.

"Matt," she stuck her bottom lip out like she was pouting. It was one of the things she would sometimes do to try to weaken his resolve and get her way, but while he hated seeing her looking sad, it was also her least effective method. Still with them in the living room and Louie asleep in their bed, it was the only one she had at her disposal.

"I'll try to be quick. Promise," he said as he headed for the hall closet to get a suitcase while still carrying the bag from the aquarium gift shop.

"Just don't wake Louie," Gabby said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take a seat on the couch and reach for something on the coffee table.

Fifteen minutes later he had packed a little over a week's worth of clothes, a couple of spare uniforms, a few pairs of shoes, and most of his toiletries. His suitcase was full. He was now bringing it back out to the living room so he could join Grabby. He would have loved to take more clothes with him, knowing he probably wouldn't be back here much unless he could get Gabby to move in with Louie, but between Gabby's comment earlier about the limited space and the fact that this was now his only suitcase while the duffel bag he usually brought to work was already at Gabby's apartment, he didn't see how he could bring anything more.

"I was wondering what happened to this," Gabby said as he sat next to her on the couch and pulled her attention out of the book she was reading. She had left it here the night she'd run out upset after he'd told her he didn't think fostering Louie was a good idea. "You could have brought it to work and given it back to me."

"Maybe I was hoping it would give you a reason to stop by," he said because he had been. Feeling like he was losing her, he had desperately wanted to see her somewhere other than the firehouse.

"Sorry," Gabby said. "I wish I could go back."

"It's okay. The past is the past. We're good now, right?" he replied.

"Yeah," she leaned over and kissed him.

"Time for my surprise now?" she asked while her lips were still barely an inch from his. He could tell she was smiling and excited though.

"Yeah. I know the bag's not all that nice or anything. I'd been hoping to find something to wrap it in or at least a gift bag, but we don't seem to have anything," he said as he handed her the bag from the aquarium.

"I don't care how it's wrapped," Gabby said as she reached in the bag and took out its contents. The frame was covered in tissue paper. As she removed it and saw the picture, her face broke into a huge smile. "Oh Matt. I love it."

"The frame's not too cheesy or anything?" he asked.

"No. It's perfect. Everything about it is perfect. Thank you," she told him before leaning in and kissing him. Then suddenly she burst into a fit of laughter.

"What?" he was concerned. Her initial reaction had been wonderful but now he couldn't help but wonder if she was changing her mind.

"I just – I just realized something," Gabby managed to get out between laughs. She took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself before continuing. "I got something for you too."

Gabby reached for her purse and took out a small bag with the aquarium's logo, handing it to him. Once he opened it, he couldn't help but laugh as well. It was the same picture he had just given her.

"I was going to hold onto it for a while. I still need to get a frame. I have no idea where you got this one; I didn't see any in the gift shop. I was thinking of maybe keeping it, and then giving it to you for Father's Day," she explained.

"I love it too," he said. "Today was so incredible. I wanted to make sure you had something from it to remember."

"Well now we both do," Gabby replied. "So two of them, huh?"

"Yeah. Maybe one for your apartment and one for my office," he suggested. "Although this one is going to have to stay at the apartment. If I had that frame with all the fish and seashells in my office, the guys would never let me live it down."

Before Gabby could respond, his phone buzzed. Gabby was sitting against the pocket his phone was in and must have felt the vibration because when he didn't reach for it, she spoke.

"You gonna get that?" she asked.

"Wasn't planning on it," he replied. It was probably Susan. She had been calling him throughout the day and had left numerous messages, which he hadn't actually listened to, figuring that at some point he would just delete them. You'd think she'd have gotten the message by now since he had yet to answer or call her back. He was getting tired of this. "I think I'm just going to turn this off."

"Susan," Gabby read the caller ID as he rejected the call and moved to turn off his phone. A slight frown formed on her lips once she was done.

"Yeah," he said as he put his phone down and took Gabby's free hand in his. "I guess she wants to talk because she keeps calling, but I've just been ignoring her."

"Well, if you turn that back on and she calls again, just give me the phone," Gabby said. "I've got a few things I'd like to say to her. You may need to take Louie somewhere else though. It won't be appropriate for children."

"I'm sure you do," he knew that if the situation had been reversed he would feel the same way. "Baby, I'm not going to be able to ignore her forever. At some point I will have to actually answer or see her. Right now I just want to focus on being here with my family and forget everything else."

"I know you do. Do you know what you're going to say to her?" Gabby asked.

"Not really. I just can't believe I misread the whole situation so badly, and the idea of actually speaking to her after everything that happened yesterday is just weird. I certainly can't keep working with her as if nothing happened, and I don't ever want to create a situation where you would be uncomfortable. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable myself," he said.

"If you want a suggestion, something like 'I love my girlfriend so buzz off' works for me," Gabby replied.

"I do love my girlfriend. You're the love of my life Gabby. Choosing you was the easiest decision I ever made. There wasn't really even any other option," he wanted her to know that.

"I know. You're the love of my life too," she smiled at him. "Enough talk of that wanna-be home wrecking bitch though. You were right earlier. The three of us are what matters now."

He couldn't help chuckling at her description of Susan.

* * *

The food hadn't arrived yet, but dinner at Antonio's was turning out to be a little awkward. While Antonio had taken out some of Diego's old toys for Louie and had been playing with Louie and talking with Gabby, he mostly ignored Matt, except for sending glares his way every few minutes. Antonio clearly wasn't over the conversation they had in his office or the fact that Gabby had initially felt like she had to do this on her own. It was frustrating, but he understood it. Antonio had always been protective of Gabby and had her back. If he thought Matt had hurt her, he would definitely hold it against him, and even though it was making his life difficult at the moment, he had always been glad Gabby and her brother had that type of relationship. Gabby kept trying to bring him into the conversation, but it wasn't really working so he was just sitting there awkwardly. He just hoped Louie hadn't noticed the tension between them.

The doorbell rang, signaling the food was here. Antonio wasn't the greatest cook so while had invited them for dinner, he hadn't actually intended to make anything, and they wound up ordering Chinese take-out.

"Next time you're coming over, and I'm cooking. Family dinners should not involve take-out," Gabby said. "Mom would be very disappointed in you."

"Aren't you living in a room over someone's garage?" Antonio asked. Matt was pretty sure that was intended to be a knock on him.

"It's an apartment with a kitchen. It'll work," Gabby said defensively.

As the food was placed on serving dishes, he was surprised that it was pretty much entirely his favorites. He was pretty sure Gabby was responsible for that, probably as a way to apologize for Antonio's attitude and thank him for putting up with it. He'd been in the bathroom when the food had been ordered, having told her that whatever they wanted to get was fine with him.

Louie mostly ate the fried rice. While technically mild, the Kung Pao Chicken and Orange Beef were still too spicy for his three-year-old pallet, and they couldn't really cut the meat off the bone-in spareribs to make it easier on him. They would have to remember that for the next time they ordered Chinese. Learning how to feed a three-year-old wasn't coming as naturally to them as he had hoped. He would have thought with Antonio there they would have been more likely to avoid a situation like this; the man had raised three kids after all.

"I'll help you with the dishes," Gabby told Antonio once they were finished eating.

"No. You're a guest," Antonio objected.

"I'm helping," Gabby insisted in a tone that left no room for argument.

As the siblings cleared off the table, he took Louie back to living room so that the boy could go back to playing. A few minutes later, Louie finished his apple juice, and Matt took the cup, heading for the kitchen to get some more. He stopped near the door though, hearing Gabby and Antonio talking. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but he couldn't stop himself from just standing there and listening.

"And left in the first place so if you want to blame anyone for the fact that we're not married or even engaged, blame me," Gabby sounded irritated.

"What about with Louie? You seemed pretty sure you were doing this on your own last week. I mean you practically told me that he didn't want any part of this. What exactly is he doing here now? Is he just tagging along as your boyfriend or has he actually decided to support you in this?" Antonio asked.

"If someone just out of nowhere sprung on you that they wanted to take in a toddler who had been in group homes and whose biological mother and foster mother had both been drug addicts, how would you react?" Gabby replied. "Matt's initial reaction may not have been what I was hoping for, but he did come around. I was just worried that he was only acting like he wanted this because I wanted it and he wanted to make me happy so I kept shutting him down, thinking it was best for Louie and for me. I was wrong though. Antonio, you should have seen him with Louie today. He was absolutely amazing, and it was so obvious that it wasn't just about making me happy. And you know what, the other day I said some absolutely awful things to him. I wouldn't blame him if he hated me for it, but he doesn't. He still loves me, and he's falling in love with Louie too. I can tell.

"I appreciate you looking out for me. I'm sure Matt does too, but you don't need to. This is Matt we're talking about. You know him. You know how great of a guy he is. If I need to be protected from anyone in my relationship with Matt, I need to be protected from myself."

He cleared his throat as he walked into the room.

"Matt," Gabby said.

"Louie needs more juice," he said as he held up the cup. He wasn't sure if Gabby was upset that he had overheard the conversation, but he could tell she knew. At least Antonio didn't seem to be glaring at him anymore. The man wasn't smiling but not glaring was definitely an improvement.

* * *

That night after getting Louie in bed, Matt and Gabby dimmed the lights and retreated to their own bed. They were still trying to figure out how to best navigate the space once Louie was asleep. Matt's stuff was still in his suitcase in the corner. He was pretty sure he would be living out of it for a while, but he didn't mind. As long as Gabby wanted to be here, they would make it work, he would make it work.

"I could never hate you, you know," he said as he kissed Gabby's cheek.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked.

"From right around the point where you said you were the reason we weren't married or engaged. I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I couldn't help it. You're not mad, are you?" he replied.

"No. It didn't need to be a private conversation. I couldn't let Antonio keep treating you like that. It was pissing me off. I just didn't want to get into it with him in front of Louie. I meant every word of it too," she answered.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," he told her.

"Always," she replied. "I know you would have done the same for me."

"Yeah, I would have. Gabby, you know our breakup last year isn't all your fault," he said.

"I'm the one who left though," Gabby retorted.

"And I pushed you away. I may not have meant to but I did. I'm just glad we were able to figure everything out and find our way back to each other," he said as he kissed her.

"Me too," she replied as she snuggled into him. They lay like for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I think I should get a new truck. Do you mind going car shopping? Not tomorrow but soon," he said.

"But you love that truck," she replied.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense anymore. Without a back seat, there's nowhere to put a car seat so I could never take Louie anywhere, and anytime we wanted to do something as a family, we'd have to take your car," he explained. "Not that I have a problem with your car, it's just it would be nice to be able to take my car sometimes too."

"I get it," Gabby said. "Thank you for doing that for us. Of course we can go car shopping at soon. We're just going to need to find someone to watch Louie. I don't think it would be a good idea to go car shopping with a three-year old."

"Probably not. I'm sure your brother or my sister would watch him for an afternoon as long as they weren't working. I want him to get to know Christie and Violet too," he replied.

"Of course he should get to know them," Gabby told him.

* * *

The next day was relatively calm for the newly formed household. That morning they had gone to Over Easy for breakfast, Matt and Gabby wanting to share one of their traditions with Louie. They had then spent the day hanging around the apartment, playing with Louie and enjoying being a family. Matt had loved every minute of it.

The only interruption came in the middle of the afternoon when Hermann made his way up to the apartment to invite the three of them to a cook out with him, Cindy, and the kids for dinner. Now Hermann was flipping burgers on the grill, Gabby and Cindy were talking, and Matt couldn't keep his eyes off Louie, who was running around after the Hermann kids in the backyard, while he sipped a beer and half-listened to Gabby and Cindy's conversation. He was pretty sure that despite her conversation, Gabby was also keeping a watchful eye on Louie.

"It's been great so far," Gabby told Cindy. "I know it's only been two days, but I don't think we could have gotten off to a better start."

"I'm glad. Motherhood suits you," Cindy said.

"Thanks," Gabby replied, the tone in her voice, telling him that Cindy's words had meant a lot to her. "And thanks for letting us stay here and for offering to watch Louie when we're on shift tomorrow. I promise Matt and I will figure out a more permanent solution soon."

"Of course. What's one more kid when you already have five?" Cindy joked. "Seriously though I'm just glad to do whatever I can to help. You're a surrogate daughter to Christopher, and we're both just really happy for you."

"Surrogate daughter. Should we have Louie start calling him Grandpa?" Matt joined the conversation.

"Please don't. I'm not old enough to be a grandma," Cindy replied.

"I don't think my dad would appreciate it anyways," Gabby said. "Seriously though, you just need to watch Louie for the day. Antonio is going to come by after work and stay the night with him. I didn't want to confuse Louie by having him sleep somewhere else. You're going to need to let Antonio up and into the apartment though. I don't have a spare key to give him. I don't even have one to give Matt."

"I think we have another key somewhere around the house. I'll look for it," Cindy said.

"Thanks. It'll be good for –" Gabby started to speak but suddenly stopped.

A lump formed in Matt's throat as he realized what was happening. He was pretty sure Gabby did as well and that's why she cut herself off. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to stop it. Not that he would have known how to. Louie and Kenny were on the driveway chasing after Luke when Louie must have tripped over something. He fell and immediately started screaming and crying. It was the worst sound Matt had ever heard. He and Gabby immediately got up and raced towards Louie. When they got there, he saw that the boy had scraped one of his knees and both of his palms when he'd landed on the tar.

"It's okay," Gabby said as they both crouched down next to Louie.

"I know it hurts," Matt said as he picked Louie up and kissed the top of his head as he cried into his chest. "It won't soon. I promise."

"I have a first aid kit upstairs," Gabby informed him as she rubbed Louie's back.

Matt just turned and followed her back up to the apartment. Louie was still in his arms but had at least stopped crying. Once inside he took a seat on the edge of Louie's bed with the boy in his lap. Gabby went into the bathroom and emerged a moment later with the first aid kit.

"I'm sorry Louie, but this is going to sting," Gabby said before she started to clean the cuts and then apply Neosporin. Louie once again started to cry.

"It's okay Louie," Matt whispered, hoping to comfort the boy.

Gabby then put band aids over each cut and kissed Louie's forehead. At that point, Louie must have been feeling better because he wiggled his way out of Matt's grip and started heading towards the door.

"Let's go back outside," Louie said.

"In a minute," Gabby replied. "Babe, you need to change your shirt. You've got a couple of blood stains."

"I'll meet you guys back out there then," he said.

"Okay," Gabby said before she and Louie left the apartment and he went to change.

When he got back outside, Louie was running around with Kenny again, the fall and cuts clearly forgotten. The boys seemingly becoming fast friends. Gabby was standing by the grill, talking to both Cindy and Hermann now but it was obvious her attention was focused on Louie. While they probably still wouldn't be able to do anything about it, he was pretty sure they were both terrified of Louie getting hurt again.

"Welcome to parenthood. It's always horrible the first time you see your kid in pain or injured," Hermann informed Matt as he joined them. "That's what happens with kids though. Just remember that they're resilient, and while it's never fun, it does stop being so scary. The first time Lee Henry fell, I could barely breath. When Kenny fell off his bike last week, it felt ordinary."

"Thanks Hermann," he replied.

Hermann then started pulling the burgers off the grill and called everyone over for dinner.

* * *

When they got back upstairs, it was time for Louie to go to bed.

"Do you mind if I put him to bed?" Matt asked. Gabby had done it the past two nights, and while he loved watching her be a mother, he couldn't help feeling like he was missing out.

"Not at all," Gabby said.

"Thanks," he said before turning his attention to Louie. "Come on Buddy. Let's get you ready for bed."

He grabbed some pajamas for Louie out of a drawer, and then the two of them headed into the bathroom. He made sure that Louie brushed his teeth and washed his face before helping him get changed and throwing the dirty clothes in the hamper.

"Louie, why don't you pick out a book, and I'll read you a bedtime story," he suggested once they were back in the main room.

Louie went to the bookshelf near his bed that contained a handful of children's books that Gabby had either bought or been given and grabbed _Goodnight Moon_ off the shelf, handing it to Matt. He put the book on Louie's nightstand for a moment in order to help the boy into bed. Once Louie was tucked in, he grabbed the book and began reading.

"Goodnight noises everywhere," Matt read the last line before adding his own. "And most of all, goodnight Louie."

He then leaned over and placed a kiss on Louie's forehead before turning off the light next to Louie's bed, glad to have finally gotten the chance to put his son to bed.

* * *

"I know it's only been like half an hour, but we should call, right?" Gabby asked as they finished changing out for shift.

"Yeah. Cindy will understand. Given how he was acting when we left, she'll know that it's not about her, but that we just want to make sure he's doing better," Matt replied. Louie had not reacted well to being left with Cindy Hermann that morning. When they last saw him, he was crying and begging them not to leave. Despite their reassurances that they loved him but had to go to work and would be back the following day, Matt was pretty sure Louie had thought they were abandoning him. Given Louie's history, he supposed it was understandable, but it was still heartbreaking to see. He and Gabby had stayed as long as they could, trying to calm him down, but finally Cindy had convinced them to leave, saying that she could handle it and that she didn't think that them staying there was helping.

"Hi Cindy. It's Gabby and Matt," Gabby said once they were in his office with the door closed. The phone was on speaker. "How's Louie doing?"

"He's calmed down. I managed to get the kids to talk to him about how Christopher goes to work for twenty four hours every few days and then comes back to them. I think that helped. Although I also think he's still a little worried. We're trying to distract him," Cindy told them.

"Can we talk to him?" Matt asked.

"Of course," Cindy said before calling Louie over.

"Gabby, Matt! You come back!" Louie said excitedly.

"We'll be home tomorrow, Bud," Matt told Louie, knowing that for him home was now wherever Gabby and Louie were. "We wish we could be with you today, but we have to work."

"I miss you," Louie said a little sadly now.

"We miss you too, and we love you," Gabby reassured him. "I promise we'll call as much as we can."

"Louie," they heard Kenny call in the background.

"You making a friend?" Matt was filled with a sense of fatherly pride.

"Uh huh," Louie answered.

"Okay. Go have fun," Gabby said. "Be a good boy for Mrs. Hermann and Antonio. He'll be with you tonight. We'll call again later, and if you want to talk to us at any point today just ask Mrs. Hermann or Antonio to call us."

"It's me again," Cindy said a moment later, Louie clearly heeding Gabby's suggestion.

"Thanks so much again. Please call us if you need anything," Gabby told her.

"Will do. Have a safe shift," Cindy said before hanging up.

"Feel better?" Matt asked Gabby.

"Yeah. You?" Gabby replied.

"Same. Louie'll get used to us having to go to work, and so will we. It's just going to take time," he told her. "Cindy was right last night. Motherhood does look good on you. Then again everything looks good on you. So does nothing."

"Get your head out of the gutter Casey," Gabby teased before turning more serious. "Fatherhood looks good on you too."

"Thanks," he smiled at her.

"I think I need some coffee," Gabby said. "Want to come?"

"I need to talk to Severide," he had seen the squad lieutenant enter his own office out of the corner of his eye when they were on the phone with Cindy. "But I'll catch you later."

"Ok," Gabby said.

"Hey. I love you," he said as pulled her in for a quick kiss. One thing he'd learned from everything that had happened the other day was to never miss a chance to make sure Gabby and the world know just how much he loved her and just how important she was to him.

"I love you too," Gabby replied.

They walked out of his office holding hands before going their separate ways.

"Sev," he knocked on Severide's office door.

"Hey. How was the conference?" Severide asked him.

"The day I was there was okay," Matt began. Truth was it had been perfectly fine up until the point where he realized just how badly he had managed to screw up the most important part of his life. "Don't know if Boden told you guys, but I was able to get the funding for the new 9-1-1 system."

"Day?" Severide asked. "I thought you were supposed to be there for three days."

"Something more important came up," Matt explained.

"You weren't at the apartment," Severide observed.

"Stopped by for a bit, but I needed to be where my family was," Matt told his roommate.

Severide gave him a knowing smile before speaking.

"That mean I shouldn't expect you at home? You're going to be staying with Dawson?" Severide asked.

"As long as she'll let me and it won't get her in trouble with DCFS, yeah. I'm a dad now, and I just don't want to miss a minute of it. The last couple of days have been incredible. Doesn't matter that that room isn't really big enough for three of us. Being there with Gabby and Louie is all that really matters," Matt answered.

"That your way of kicking me out?" Severide joked.

"I don't want to push Gabby into something she isn't ready for so I don't know when it'll happen or what exactly we'll do, but I do know that we can't stay there long term," Matt replied.

"Whenever you want to just say the word. I'm sure I can figure something else out. You guys have been more than generous. It's not like I was supposed to still be there in the first place," Severide offered.

"Thanks man," Matt said. "That's not why I stopped in though. Gabby told me about what happened at that last call before she got Louie. I can't thank you enough for getting her down in one piece."

"Of course," Severide told him. "You know there was no chance any of us were just going to stand by idly and let her fall from a fifth floor window."

"I know. It's just if I had lost her –," Matt's voice trailed off. The very concept was just too unbearable to think about.

"So you and Kidd, huh?" Matt needed to change the subject.

"Yeah well that's over. Her ex is crazy," Severide pulled his shirt down over his right shoulder to reveal a couple of long lacerations with what looked like at least fifteen stiches between them.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"Grant came after us with a knife the other day. We're lucky this was all he was able to do before we could get the knife away from him. He's in lock up now, but it's not worth the risk. No one is," Severide informed him.

Matt wanted to say that some women were but thought better of it. If Gabby's ex had been some psycho instead of Mills, it wouldn't have stopped him from being with her. Maybe that's just what happens when you find your soulmate though; no obstacle doesn't seem worth overcoming if it means the two of you will be together and happy.

"Are you okay to work?" he asked instead.

"Boden said I'm only allowed to supervise on calls," Severide said.

"Sorry man," Matt replied. Catching a glimpse of the clock he added. "We should get to roll call."

The two men made the short trek to the conference room. When they got there, Matt noticed the seat next to Gabby was empty. Normally he would stand in the back, but he still had this strong need to be where his girl was so instead of going to his normal spot, he sat down next to her.

Boden didn't have to many announcements so roll call was relatively short. After a few minutes, he found himself walking out of the conference room holding Gabby's hand. As they entered the hall, he noticed Susan walking through one of the doors that led to the apparatus floor. He was not expecting to see her but supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. The conference had ended yesterday and he had yet to call her back or even listen to her messages. He'd just deleted them when he went through his voicemails.

He felt Gabby's hand tighten in his, and he squeezed it reassuringly. She was clenching her jaw and her other fist. A look of pure hatred flashed over her face but quickly vanished. He knew that as much as she wanted go after Susan, she did not want to get into this in front of their friends and coworkers. What had actually sent him home to her wasn't something she wanted them to know. He didn't blame her. He wasn't proud of it.

"I love you," he whispered into Gabby's ear. "And don't worry, I'll make sure you get to kick her ass in private."

"Matt," Susan said as she approached them. "We need to talk."

"Okay," he stated simply before leading Susan and Gabby to his office while never letting go of Gabby's hand. As long as this was happening here, there was no way he would even consider having this conversation without Gabby at his side.

"Can we speak privately?" Susan asked him once they were in his office with the door closed.

"There's nothing you can say to me that you can't also say in front of Gabby," he answered, hoping to make his position on not just this conversation but also what had happened in Springfield perfectly clear.

"You may not respect me, but Matt actually does, and if you think there's any way I'm going to give you another chance to embarrass yourself by throwing yourself at him, you're dumber than you look. I already know you're at least as dumb as you look since you actually tried that once," the look of hatred was back on Gabby's face as she glared as Susan.

"Okay," Susan was clearly taken aback by Gabby's words. "Not taking up my offer was one thing."

"Offer," Gabby laughed as she cut Susan off. "Let's call it what it was. You propositioned him. Not taking up your offer really means not cheating on me and having a one night stand with you. Or were you aspiring to be a mistress or homewrecker?"

"Not taking up my offer was one thing but disappearing and blowing off the rest of the conference is another," Susan ignored Gabby's words. "Do you have any idea how much damage control I had to do? If you want that State Senate seat –"

"I don't need or want you doing damage control for me," he cut her off. "I'm no longer comfortable working with you."

"What?" Susan seemed confused.

"He's firing your slutty ass," Gabby clarified, making Matt smirk.

"You may have made it to the city council on your own, but if you want that State Senate seat we talked about or any other higher office, it's a whole different ballgame. Blowing off over half the conference already hurt you, and no matter how naturally charismatic and relatable you are, you're not going to be able to get there on your own. You could do great things, but you need to surround yourself with people who know how the game is played, a real campaign team. That's what I bring to the table," Susan argued.

"I never wanted to go along with how the game is played, and none of that stuff is going to make me happy. This is," he told Susan as he wrapped his arm around Gabby's shoulder and pulled her close.

"And he certainly doesn't need you or politics to do great things," Gabby defended him. "He's a far better man than you give him credit for."

"I think you're going to regret this," Susan said. He wasn't sure if she was referring to the personal or the professional or both, but he couldn't imagine ever regretting either. "You have a lot of potential. If you change your mind, you have my number."

"Susan wait," Gabby said as the consultant opened the door and moved to walk out of the office.

Susan turned around, and judging by the look on her face, Matt was pretty sure she had no idea what was coming, that she was hoping Gabby wanted her to stick around. He couldn't believe it.

Susan had picked the wrong man to go after. Not just because there was no way he would ever cheat on or leave Gabby, but also because his girl stood up for herself. No one tried to take something away from her, especially something that meant so much to her, and got away with it. It was one of the many things that made him fall in love with her in the first place.

"Keep. Your. Slutty. Paws. And. Mouth. Off. My. Man," Gabby hissed slowly, her voice was filled with venom. At the same time, she raised her hand and slapped Susan hard across the face, the woman's head snapping to the side as Gabby's palm made contact with her cheek.

Was it wrong that he was smiling?

Gabby then shoved Susan out of his office and closed the door in his face. He was pretty sure that Susan got off easy. If they hadn't been at the firehouse, where anyone could walk in and see the exchange, Gabby would have done a lot more to her.

"That's my girl," he said as he pulled her into him and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"So State Senate," Gabby said into his chest. He knew this was the first time she was hearing about it.

"She brought it up in Springfield," he moved to look her in the eye. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been tempted for a few minutes, but I meant what I said just now and the other night. Politics, being a state senator, those aren't the things I want. You, Louie, being a family, being a firefighter, that's what I want. That's who I am."

"You're sure? I don't want you to look back and wonder what if or worse start resenting me for holding you back," she asked.

"That is never going to happen," he reassured her. "Choosing politics and missing out on time with you and Louie or losing you all together, that's what I would regret, what would me wonder what if."

"Okay," she smiled at him.

"My only regret is that it's taken me this long to be able to do this," he said as he released her from his arms for a minute so that he could lock the door and close the blinds. Taking her in his arms again, he brought her lips to his, kissing her passionately as he began to move them towards the bed. They still had things to figure out, and he had not doubt that they would. Now wasn't the time though. At the moment, all he wanted to do was spend the morning loving every inch of the most amazing woman and now mother he had ever known.


End file.
